Chapter 54: The Happy Family of Three
Third Person POV
After Mia was driven out of the manor, Gavin's mood didn't improve.
Mia's desperate yet angry gaze made him even more irritated.
He hurled the glass in his hand to the floor. Shards scattered everywhere.
"Go investigate Susan's whereabouts." Gavin commanded.
"Sir," David hesitated, "are you sure you want to do this?"
He didn't understand why Gavin still cared so much about Mia's affairs.
After all, Mia had betrayed him first, falling out with him over another man.
David's question annoyed Gavin, who snapped, "Don't ask so many questions. Just do as I say."
David didn't dare ask more and immediately turned to carry out the order.
Meanwhile, after driving Mia away, Eva was in an exceptionally good mood.
She returned to her room, closed the door, and dialed a number.
"How did things go?" she asked.
On the other end, a man's nervous voice responded.
"Miss Eva, I'm terribly sorry. We messed up."
"What?!" Eva's brow furrowed as she snapped, "Where is she? I told you to bring her to the designated location!"
The man's voice trembled. "Susan... she escaped."
"Escaped?" Eva's voice shot up. "How could she escape? Didn't I tell you to watch her?"
Once, when Eva came to the manor, she had overheard a conversation between Gavin and David.
She learned that Mia was planning to send Susan to North America for treatment.
For her, this was a perfect opportunity.
She couldn't wait to see Mia go crazy.
So she paid a hefty sum to bribe several airport ground crew members.
After Susan boarded the plane, they would use the excuse of "incorrect document information that needed to be re-verified" to trick Susan off the plane.
Then they would kidnap Susan and take her to the location she specified.
That way, she could use Susan to threaten Mia and force her to completely leave Gavin.
The man on the phone hurriedly explained, "Miss Eva, we did trick the woman off the plane, but she seemed to sense something was wrong."
"We had just brought her to a secluded corner of the terminal when she suddenly said she needed to use the restroom."
"Our men were guarding outside, but after waiting over ten minutes without her coming out, they went in to check. She had escaped through a ventilation duct on the other side."
"But she left in such a hurry that she dropped her phone in the restroom."
"A bunch of useless fools!" Eva shouted into the phone.
"I don't care what methods you use. You must find her!"
Mia's POV
After being driven from the manor, I walked the streets alone, lost and dejected.
Once I calmed down, I kept replaying Gavin's words in my mind.
He said Susan's disappearance had nothing to do with him, and his tone was firm, not like he was lying.
Could I have truly misunderstood him?
Besides, Gavin had no need to deceive me. He never bothered with lies.
But if not him, then who?
I covered my face in despair, tears flowing through my fingers.
"Mom... where are you?"
Jayden had made sure Susan boarded the plane before leaving.
Could something unexpected have happened before takeoff?
Her phone remained off. I was afraid her illness will suddenly flare up.What if someone had abducted her?
I kept blaming myself. If I had accompanied her to North America, perhaps nothing would have gone wrong.
My mind was in complete chaos as I let out a deep sigh.
When I reached the hospital room door, I heard muffled crying inside.
Jayden's mother Raina sat by his bed, tears streaming down her face.
"Mia, tell me, what happened to Jayden? Why is he hurt so badly?"
My heart filled with guilt, my voice choking. "I'm sorry, Aunt Raina. It's all because of me that Jayden got hurt."
Raina was about to press for more details when Jayden woke up in the bed.
"Mom..." he called weakly.
Raina rushed to his bedside, asking about his condition with concern.
But he said, "Mom, I'm fine. I just... ran into a robbery last night on my way home."
My eyes widened, my heart racing. Why was Jayden lying?
Raina's reaction was intense. "That's impossible! Tell me who did this. I'll make them pay!"
"Mom, I'm really okay," Jayden reassured her. "Don't worry. I'm thirsty. Could you go get me some hot water?"
Raina's attention was successfully diverted. She nodded quickly. "Of course, I'll go right now."
After the door closed, I asked urgently, "Jayden, why did you..."
"Mia, please don't tell my mom about this. I don't want her to worry."
Jayden coughed once and looked at me seriously. "Promise me, okay?"
"But..."
I was consumed by guilt. Jayden was seriously injured, yet I could do nothing.
"I'm fine. What about Susan?" Jayden asked. "Did she arrive safely in North America?"
I sat by the bed, words catching in my throat.
Jayden frowned. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"Susan is missing. We can't reach her."
One disaster after another pushed me to the brink of collapse.
"What?! That's impossible! I personally saw her onto the plane!"
No one knew what happened after Susan boarded.
Jayden wanted to help search for Susan, but I refused. I wanted him to focus on recovering.
Over the following days, I filed a report at the local police station and actively contacted the doctor in North America.
I theorized that Susan might have gotten lost in North America after landing.
I couldn't overlook any possibility of finding her.
But despite everything I tried, there was still no news of Susan.
The police said that with the heavy foot traffic at the airport and complex surveillance system, the investigation would take time.
But they confirmed that after Susan boarded, she voluntarily got off the plane.
The North American doctor also told me there was no entry record for Susan.
Why did Susan get off the plane voluntarily? And after leaving, why didn't she contact me?
Where could she be...
After repeated setbacks, my heart sank into complete despair.
I wandered the streets in a daze. Looking up, I found myself at Peggy's preschool.
Susan was missing, and Gavin wouldn't let me see Peggy.
But... I really missed her so much.
I clenched my fists. I thought I'd just see Peggy once, and then leave.
But the next scene made me freeze in place.
Eva held Peggy's hand, her smile tender, as if she were Peggy's mother.
Gavin walked beside them. Though his gaze remained cold, he showed no impatience.
The three of them together looked exactly like a happy family.
Most absurdly, when Gavin and I were together, I had suggested picking up Peggy from preschool together, but he always refused.
Yet now, he appeared here with Eva.
In that instant, a fine, sharp pain spread through my heart, making it hard to breathe.
I couldn't watch anymore. I turned and left.